Salmon industry bear the loss of the season, groundfish and Pacific whiting industries are also facing loss and so they are opposing the proposed change in regulation of those fisheries. Next month the Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider approving an individual quota system for groundfish and whiting. But the seafood industry leaders say this would “essentially create a monopoly of the seas.”
Therefore the seafood industry have gathered more than 300 supporters, among them the National Restaurant Association, Oregon Restaurant Association, West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA), Northwest Seafood Market, and other restaurant owners, local businesses, organizations, and individuals, to oppose a quota system they say would exclude one of the industry’s largest stakeholders. They threatened to leave behind coastal jobs and communities, seafood consumers, and sustainability.
However, the federal government regulates whiting as a derby-style fishery by establishing a quota for the overall fishery that allows permitted vessels to fish until they reach that quota. Earlier the federal officials reduced the groundfish trawl fleet by a third through a government buyback of permits and vessels so that it could maintain fish stocks and economic security for fishermen. Those reductions hurt some coastal communities, as limited product forced some processors to cut back or close.
Heather Munro Mann, WCSPA’s deputy director, told that an individual quota system has the potential to be a great solution for the region’s seafood industry, as it can help to manage our natural resources and alleviate the pressure to race for fish. He added that the proposed new rules, however, allow a select group to reap the benefits.
The fishermen are in wait-and-see situation until the final decision will be made in June. This would decide the fate of salmon and other fisheries season this year.
